Message-registering system



G. K. THOMPSON.

MESSAGE REGISTERING SYSTEM.

APPLLCATION man OCT. 9. 1919.

Patented Nov. 22, 1921..

INVENTOR.-

i 5 A TTORNEY is Q\\ \M MM" & N

UNITED STATES GEORGE K. THOMPSON, 0F MAPLEWOOD TELEPHONE AN D TELEGRAPHCOMP NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN NY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

MESSAGE-REGISTERING SYSTEM.

Application filed October 9, 1919.

To all 207mm 2'! may concern:

Be it known that I. Giaoncn K. THOMPSON, residing at hiaplewood, in thecounty of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain Imrovements in Message- Registering Systems, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to message registering systems and more parularly to a system in wh h the registering device is locked into thecircuit by the subscriber as the result of the act necessary to signalthe central ofiice, and thereafter remains under he control of theoperating and releasing arrangement associated with the cord circuit atth central oii'ice.

in the use for devices for registering the number of mess gestransmitted over a telephone line from a particular subscribers stationat which the device is located, it is desirable to determine whether therecording mechanism has operated properly in response to the operationof the controlline; device at the central otiice. Failure to operatemight be due to anumber of causes, but it is due principally either todefective mechanism or to attempts on the part of the user of theinstrument to frustrate the operation or the mechanism in order toprevent the registration of the call.

In call registering systems h retofore used, the operator mightreceive asignal indicating the proper operation or" the register, when, inreality its operation has been prevented by a fraudulent connection madeby the subscriber. Likewise, the recording dials might fail to operateand yet give no indication of such failure.

One objectof the invention is to provide means associated preferablywith the cord circuit at the central otlice, to operate the registeringdevice at the subscribers station after a chargeable telephoneconnection has been established and to indicate to the operator that theregistering mechanism has operated properly. A further object is torelease the locking mechanism at the subscribers station, therebyrestoring the register to its normal position and to indicate to theoperator that such operation has been successfully efi'ected.

This invention will be more fully understood from the followingdescription, together with the attached drawing which shows oneembodiment of the invention.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 22,1921.

Serial No. 229,423.

The drawing shows a telephone station at A and a central ofiice at B,connected by means of the t lephone line circuit 1, which terminates atthe otiice B in a jack J At the subscribers station A is a telephone s=tof the ordinary type, bridged across the line circuit. The setrepresented in the drawing is a direct line single party instrument, butit should be understood that the invention is not limited to such typeof subscribefis circuit, but is equally applicable to lines having aplurality of parties associated therewith. Associated with the telephoneset 2 1s a message registering device which is shown schematically inthe drawing by the arrangement 3, but in practice may be of the typedescribed in the patentto otten, 1,162,007, dated November 30, 1915,with a slight modification which will be later referred to. Associatedwith the registering device is a switching mechanism =1, by means ofwhich the line relay 5 at the central ofiice end of the line 1 may beoperated and the line lamp 6 may be lighted. The switching mechanism at,when operated in order to effect the operation of the line relay 5,closes a circuit from battery 37 through the line relay 5 and the tipside of line 1, through contact '7 associated with the registeringdevice and the windings of the polarized magnet to ground, and remainslocked in that position, until released by the actuation of theoperating and releasing mechanism associated with the cord circuit atthecentral otfice,

The message registering device 3 cornprises a polarized magnet S, thewindings of which are connected between the tip side of the line circuitand ground, by the closing of the contact 7, which results from theoperation of the switching mechanism 4. A movable armature 9 issupported by a pivot 10, so as to swing in the plane of the polarizedmagnet 8. Attached to the upper end of the armature is a roller 11,which is adapted to exert an upward force upon the blades of the contact7, which in turn transmits this force to the plunger 12, which is heldin contact with the upper blade by means of the spring 13. The path ofmovement of the roller 11 is so designed as to lift the plunger 12sufficiently to allow the catch 14 to be forced into the notch in theside of the plunger by means of the spring 15, thereby locking theplunger in that position. Attached to the opposite end of the movablearmature 9 is an arm 16 having at one end a hook adapted to engage theteethof a toothed wheel which is adapted to rotate about a shaft 17,upon which are also mounted a plurality of numbered disks, whichconstitutes the registering device.

"The opposite end of the arm 16 is slotted and it is attached to thearmature by means of a pin adapted to move within the said slot. Theconnecting pin is normally located with in said slot in such positionthat the end of the armature may be moved its full distance in onedirection without causing any movement of the arm 16, but if thearmature is moved in the opposite direction the arm will likewise bemoved in the same direction, substantially as far as the end of thearmature moves. The distance through which the arm moves is normally thedistance between two adjacent teeth of the toothed wheel which the armis adapted to engage. A spring 18 is attached to the slotted end of thearm 16, so as to withdraw the arm after it has become engaged'with atooth on the wheel and thereby cause the rotation of the said wheel andin consequence thereof the registration of the call. Associated with thetoothed wheel is a pawl 19 adapted to rotate about an axis 20. As thewheel rotates in the direction of the arrow, the upper end of the pawlwill be forced outward, which re sults in a downward motion of the lowerend of the pawl, thereby causing the operation of the switch 21, theobject of which will be made clear later. This constitutes the variationfrom the arrangement shown in Votton, wherein the function of the pawlis simply to prevent movement of the toothed wheel in the wrongdirection.

Associated with the cord circuit at the.

central office B, is the operating and releasing mechanism indicated by22 and 23, respectively. The operating mechanism 22 comprises a battery26 of 110 volts preferably, the negative side of which is connected,through an interrupter 2st, to the. tip side of the line circuit, by theoperation of key 25 in the left hand direction. The negative side of thesame battery is adapted to be directly connected to the ring side of thesaid circuit, without the interposition of an interrupting device, whenthe said switch is operated inthesaid direction. Associated with thesecircuits from battery 26 to the tip and ring sides of the line circuit,are

relays 27 and 28, respectively which, when operated, cause the lamps 29and 30, respectively, to glow.

The releasing circuit 23 the function of which is to release the lockingmechanism of the register 3 without recording the call embraces abattery 81 of preferablythe same potential asbattery 26, but arranged sothat its positive terminal will be connected to the tip side of the linewhen switch 25 is operated in the right hand direction. A lamp 32 and arelay 38 are connected with the circuit from battery 31 to the tip sideof the line, in order to indicate the proper functioning of the circuit.Connected into the ring side of the cord circuit are the supervisoryrelays 3i and 34:, with which are associated the supervisory lamps and35. The cord circuit terminates in the plug P adapted to be inserted injack J and plug P adapted to be inserted in jack J which may be theterminus of another subscribers line or a trunk line.

This invention will be more clearly understood from the followingdescription of the manner in which it may be operated.

if the subscriber at station A desires to make a telephone call, hepresses the button 36 of the switching mechanism 4L. The pressure uponthe button, which is in contact with the catch 14, overcomes thepressure of spring 15 and effects the withdrawalof the catch from theplunger 12, thereby permitting the plunger to be forced downward by theaction of the spring 18, which results in the closing of the contact 7.As the result of this, a circuit is established from battery 37, windingof the line relay 5, contact of cut off relay 38, tip side of line 1,contact 7, winding of polarized magnet 8, to ground,

thereby causing the lighting of the line lamp 6. The operator at officeB inserts the plug P of her cord circuit in the ack J which causes theoperation ofthe cut-off relay 38 and extinguishes the line lamp. Afterthe operator has learned from the subscriber at A the desired number,she inserts plug P in jack J, of the desired line and establishes thedesired connection.

When the subscriber at A has restored his receiver to the hook of theinstrument 2, the supervisory relay 84 will be deenergized, causing thelamp 35 to glow. Thereupon the operator moves the switch 25 toward theleft, and establishes a circuit from battery 26, through the interrupter24, winding of relay 2?, over the tip side of line 1, through thewindings of the polarized magnet 8, to ground, which results in themovement of the armature 9, in such manner that its upper end travelstoward the left and the lower end toward the right. By the movement ofthe upper end, the switching mechanism l is restored to its normalnon-operated position. By the movement toward the right of the lower endof the said armature, the arm 16 is brought into engagement with thenext tooth to the right. Since the interrupter 24 is designed to allowonly a momentary flow of current, the armature 9 will therefore bequickly restored to its normal position and the arm 16 will be quicklywithdrawn by the action of the spring 18. This results in the movementof the toothed wheel through such an angular distance as to advance thecounting mechanism one unit, thereby registering the call. Theinterrupter 2st is so designed as to allow the current to flow throughthe windings of the polarized magnet for such length of time to insurethe proper operation of the armature. To further insure a full stroke ofthe armature 9, the relation of the roller 11 to the springs carryingthe contact 7 is such that the contact is maintained closed while thearmature 9 is out of its normal position. Upon the return of thearmature 9 to its normal position the contact 7 will be opened. providedthe plunger 12 is held in its normal unoperated position by the catch14. When such an impulse of current flows from battery 26 throughinterrupter 24 and over the circuit previously described the relay 2?will be operated intermittently so long as contact 7 remains closed,which will be indicated by the lighting of the lamp 29. If the armature9 fails to open the contact '7, a series of impulses will pass throughthe circuit, causing the intermittent operation of relay 27 and theflashing of lamp 29 thus signifying that the message register 3 failedto restore the switching mechanism 4: to its proper non-operatedposition.

When the toothed wheel has been rotated in the direction of the arrow bythe lateral movement of the arm 16. the upper part of the pawl 19 willbe moved toward the right. This will cause the pawl to rotate about theaxis 20 and will produce a downward motion in the lower part of thepawl. resulting in the closing of contact 21, and thereby establishing acircuit from battery 2-3. through the winding of relay 28. over the ringside of the line, through contact 21 to ground. 'Relay 28 is operatedthereby and the lamp 30 associated therewith is lighted. which indicatesto the operator at B that the recording mechanism associated with themessage register has recorded the call. The lamp 30 will remain lightedonly for the short period of time during whicn the pawl is passing froman intermediate part of one to an intermediate part of the next tooth insuccession.

If the operator at B is unable to establish the desired telephoneconnection. it is necessary that the switching means i should bereleased and restored to its normal position without operating therecording mechanism associated with the message register 3. This is donein the following manner: The operator at B moves the switch 25 towardthe right, thereby establishing a circuit from battery 31, through thewinding of relay 33, over the tip side of the line, thence throughcontact 7 and the windings of the polarized magnet 8. to ground. Sincethe circuit connections of battery 23 are such that its positive polewill be connected with the tip side of the line, the armature 9 will becaused to move in a direction opposite to that in which it moved whenbattery 26 was connected with the same circuit. The upper end of themovable armature will travel in a path toward the right, therebyelevating the springs of contact 7, which in turn will raise plunger 12,so as to allow the catch 14 to drop back into the notch in the saidplunger. This will restore the switching mechanism 4: to its normalunoperated position. The lower end of the movable armature will traveltoward the left the pin moving in the slot of the arm 16. Owing to thelength of the slot and the fact that the spring 18 is not under tensionwhen the armature 9 is in its normal position the arm 16 itself will notbe moved and in consequence thereof the toothed wheel will not berotated and the recording mechanism associated with the toothed wheelwill not be affected. Upon the return of the armature 9 to its normalposition, contact 7 will be opened.

In addition to indicating a failure on the part of the apparatus toregister properly due to some defect within the structure itself, therecording and releasing mechanism associated with the cord circuit isalso adapted to indicate unusual circuit conditions which result fromattempts on the part of subscribers to prevent the operator fromoperating the registering device. The subscriber at A may place a groundupon the tip side of the line, for example at X, in order to operate theline relay 5 and the signal lamp (3, thereby establishing telephoneconnection with the central ofiice B without placing the registeringdevice under the control of the operator at B by the operation of theswitching mechanism 4. Such an attempt would be detected by the operatoat the time of disconnection, by a series of flashes of the lamp 29, aslong as the ground remained on the tip side at X and by the absence ofany indication from the signal lamp 230. If the subscriber at A were toremove the ground from the tip side at X. after establishing the desiredtelephone connection and prior to the time of disconnection, theoperator at B would be aware of an abnormal condition, by the failure ofboth lamps 29 and 30 to operate.

If a subscriber at A were to attach temporarily a ground wire to thering side of the line at Y and remove the receiver from the hook, theoperator at B would be signaled in the usual way by the operation ofrelay 5 and the lighting of lamp 6. If the subscriber failed to removethe ground prior to restoring the receiver to its hook on completing'thecall he could not give a disconnect signal, since the supervisory relay3% would remain operated so long as the ground remained on the ring sideof the line. If the subscriber should remove the ground from the ringside of the line at Y, just prior, to restoring the receiver to itshook, in order to operate the supervisory relay and thereby give adisconnectsignal, and then were to apply the ground again with theobject of deceiving the operator at the time of registering the call, noindication would be given by lamp 29 and a steady light would be givenby lamp 30 so long as the ground was maintained. These conditions would,of course, attract the attention of the operator, who would immediatelyreport them in order that they might be investigated.

It will be seen, therefore, that this invention serves not only toindicate the proper operation of the message recording mechanism, or itsfailure to operate properly due to defects within the structure itself,but it also acts as a detector or indicator of any abnormal conditionwhich may occur at the substation, due either to line circuit trouble orto an attempt on the part of the subscriber to make a call withouthaving the same registered.

Although this invention has been shown as embodiedin the specific form,it is not desired to restrict it to this particular form, since it iscapable of embodiment in other forms without departing from the spiritofthe appended claims.

h at is claimed is:

1. In a message registering system, the combination ot a subscribersline circuit having a telephone set and a message registering deviceassociated therewith, a cord circuit adapted for connection with saidsubscribers line circuit and means associated with said cord circuit torestore said registering device to its normal unoperated position and toindicate to the operator that the registering device has registered.

2. In a message registering system, the

combination of a subscribers line circuit having a telephone set and amessage registering device associated therewith, a cord circuitfat acentral oiiice adapted for connection with said subscribers linecircuit, switching means associated with said registering device adaptedto be locked when operated, and means to unlock said switching means,and to indicate to the operator that the said registering device hasregistered.

3. In a message registering system thecombination of a subscribers linecircuit having a telephone set and a message registering deviceassociated therewith, lockable switching means associated with saidregistering device to connect said device operatively with said linecircuit, a cord circuit adapted for connection with said line' circuit,means associated with said cord circuit adapted to cause saidregistering device to register and to indicate such registration,-.

and releasing means associated with said cord circuit adapted to restoresaid switching means to its normal position, and to indicate suchrestoration. i

4:. In a 'messageregistering system," the combination or a telephoneline, a message registering device :associated therewith, a cord circuitadapted for connection with the said telephone line, a registercontrolling means associated with the said cord circuitv comprising asource of potential and a plurality of indicating devices, the saidsource being adapted for connection with one side of the said line foroperating the said registering device and one of said indicating de-'

